Banbury residents challenged to find their Hearing IQ

Banbury residents are being challenged to find their Hearing IQ as new figures show that more people are seeking advice on their hearing at an earlier age than ever before.

The data from Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care, which has a branch on High Street, has been released for Hearing Awareness Month, which aims to raise the profile of age related hearing loss and encourage us to look after our hearing in the same way we do our vision.

The number of under 40s seeking hearing care at Scrivens is up six-fold, 40 to 59 year olds up more than 3.5 times and 60 to 69 year olds up nearly four times since 2015. 

The figures suggest people are more hearing ‘intelligent’ than they were a decade ago, but many are still hearing ‘uninformed’.

That’s why Scrivens has created an online Hearing IQ quiz. Just as IQ measures intelligence, your Hearing IQ measures how well you listen, protect and care for your hearing. The quiz covers three core areas – lifestyle, such as how often you’re in noisy places; listening habits, such as turning the TV up or struggling to follow conversations; and general hearing health knowledge, such as when you last had a hearing check.

Scrivens branch manager Maisie Fox said: “We’d never ignore a change in our eyesight, but lots of us put up with changes in our hearing for years without realising.     Whether it’s turning the TV up or nodding along in a noisy restaurant, the signs are easy to miss.

“The good news is we’re starting to see more younger people come through our doors. There’s less stigma around hearing loss than there used to be, and with hearing care now on the high street, getting your hearing checked is as easy as having an eye test – plus it is free!

“The Hearing IQ quiz is a quick and fun way to check in with your hearing, so I’d encourage everyone to give it a go and challenge their friends and family to do the same.”

Hearing naturally deteriorates with age, so for those over 45, Scrivens encourages annual hearing checks. Early detection and intervention support a better quality of life and social connection, which in turn help long-term cognitive wellbeing.  Take the quick Hearing IQ quiz to see how much you know.  More information is also available at Scrivens’ Hearing Hub.